Sarracenia purpurea

PURPLE PITCHER PLANT

Sarracenia purpurea
PURPLE PITCHER PLANT

SEED SOWING ADVICE: An absolute fiddle but worth it to triumph

Sarracenia seeds naturally have a waxy coating that repels water.
Probably so the seeds float on water to disperse them in nature.
But the seed cannot germinate until moisture has passed through the waxy seed coat into the embryo.

It is important to use distilled water to soak and water Sarracenia seeds while they are germinating, unless you have very pure rain water available.
However bottles of distilled water are readily available at the supermarket.

First treat the seeds to a period of moist chilling to break their dormancy

So you need some moist sphagnum moss (or moist peat if you cant get any sphagnum moss).
First soak the sphagnum moss / peat in distilled water, and then squeeze it out to get rid of excess water.
Now mix the seeds with a little of the moist moss / peat and enclose all in a sealed clip-lock bag. Make sure there is plenty of air in the bag too, as the seeds need air to germinate.
Then place the bag in the fridge (not freezer) for 5 weeks.

Meanwhile prepare a seed raising mix by mixing equal parts of horticultural grade peat, preferably made from sphagnum moss, and horticultural sand. Just to be sure there are no salts in the sand – wash it through with distilled water before using

Now remove the bag from the fridge and sow the seeds, together with the moss from the bag, into suitable size pots. Spacing the seeds approx. 5mm apart.
Then cover with a fine layer of washed sand.

Now stand the sown pot up in a ziplock plastic bag (seal at the top so you can open to water).
With a little distilled water standing in the bottom of the bag to ensure the mix remains moist at all times.  Seal up the ziplock bag to retain even moisture and humidity until you need to water again.

Keep in a warm, well-lit position.
Temperatures of approx. 20° to 25°C are best for rapid and optimum germination

Moisten regularly with distilled water until germination.
Seeds germinate in approx. 2-4 weeks.

SEED COUNT: 15 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count and give a generous serve).

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